Playing Castle
by Maybeawriter
Summary: They thought nothing would come between them, but they didn't know what was coming. Iris lived her six years happily on Ephedia, before Gramorr arrived to destroy it all. Her memories wiped, she was taken to the safety of Earth, leaving behind her friends Talia, Auriana, and her very best friends, Mephisto and Praxina. (Childhood Friends AU, rating may be upped to T later on)
1. Chapter 1: Pretending

Chapter 1: Pretending

A/N: Shoutout to followmetoyourdoom for her assistance in beta-ing and suggestions, as well as margoteve and the rest of the Discord chat! Thank you guys for your support! 

* * *

Her parents named her after the rainbow, and the name fit her well. Iris was a blissfully happy girl, having lived her six years without a care bigger than a thimble.

Of course, thimbles are considerably larger to a six-year-old.

"But why can't Talia come sooner?" she asked at breakfast. "Auriana's family'll already be gone by the time she comes back."

Her father smiled. "I'm sorry, Iris, but you know, royals can't always go wherever they want, whenever they want. Talia's parents have urgent matters to attend to at home before they can return for another visit."

Iris grew weary of the phrase "urgent matters." In her experience, it usually meant boring grown-up business specifically invented to keep her and her friends from being together.

"It's not fair." She sighed.

He patted her soft pink hair. "Life often isn't, my sweet. But you can play with your other friends, can't you?"

Iris brightened. That was very true, and she still had the whole morning to play with them before she had to start her lessons. She began eating in earnest.

"What's the business, anyway?" she asked offhandedly.

The silence that answered her made her pause and look up.

Her parents usually liked it when she showed an interest in politics. They'd often remark that it was important for a Crown Princess to do so.

Instead, they seemed to be exchanging significant looks.

"...Nothing very important, dear heart." Her mother smiled reassuringly.

The king coughed. "Yes, just some trade deals between Xeris and Calix. Nothing serious."

"Oh." Iris tilted her head, picking up something off in their manner but unable to decode it. "Ok, then."

Her parents breathed twin sighs of relief when Iris returned her attention to her food. They didn't want her to see the weight on their shoulders, the concern in their eyes.

She didn't need to know the "trade deals" were really about the shared research into and storage of weapons and magic. Or that all the kingdoms were holding their breath. She didn't need to worry her beautiful head about these things. Not yet.

 _She has a lifetime to worry,_ the Queen thought, gazing at her. _Let her be a child, for now_.

* * *

After breakfast, it was a quick dash from the dining room to the courtyard. She was pleased to see that one of her friends was already there."

"Auriana!" she called, waving. "I'm here!"

Auriana was bouncing up and down on her heels, hyperactive as always and more than ready to start the game. She looked up and smiled when she heard Iris coming.

" _There_ you are!" She laughed. "We've been here forever, already!"

Her bright orange hair was loose; she'd probably lost her hair ribbon again. She lost more of those than Iris could count. And she could count all the way to 100, so it must have been an unimaginable amount.

"Sorry, Auri! I had to eat breakfast!" Iris stopped to catch her breath. "...Where're the others?"

"They forgot our swords. They said they'd be right back."

Even as she spoke a pair of magenta haired children appeared from an archway and hurried over.

"Yay, Iris is here!" Mephisto grinned. "See, Prax, she didn't forget us!"

His sister crossed her arms. "I didn't say she did! I just said maybe she was busy!"

Iris grabbed her best friends in a hug, much to Praxina's feigned annoyance. "I'm never too busy for you guys!"

The twins would hardly have recognized their younger selves. Mephisto was an inch shorter than Praxina and kept his bangs in a little ponytail to keep them out of his eyes. Praxina wore her long hair tied to the side.

The biggest difference was their eyes.

Mephisto's were the green of rolling down a grassy hillside, full of innocent mischief instead of malice, quiet courage instead of fear, and incredible kindness instead of greed.

Praxina's were the the azure of soaring through a cloudless sky, and they sparked with sass, instead of cynicism. They had none of her future cruelty, and only a slight, harmless form of her ambition.

They were only eight years old and knew nothing yet of heartbreak or regret.

Iris remembered her sad news and sobered. "Talia can't come back until at least next month."

Auriana's face fell. "Aw, I'll be home way before then."

"At least we won't have to argue about who gets to play the queen," Praxina said.

"But the games with two queens are the most fun!" Auriana insisted. "We get to switch sides and do sneaky secret stuff! Besides, Prax, don't you miss Talia?"

"No! Well... yes." Praxina looked away. "...I like her and everything, but she can be so bossy! And really stubborn!"

Mephisto snorted. "Wow, I don't know _anybody_ else like that!"

She pouted at her brother. "Papa says knights aren't supposed to be sarcastic, Mephisto!"

"We aren't playing, yet!" He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Ok, cut it out, you guys!" Iris interrupted, giggling. "We don't have a lot of time!"

"Right, sorry. Here's the swords." Mephisto handed out the wooden swords he'd been carrying under his arm. They were each painted the favorite color of their owner.

"Um, Praxina?" Auriana fluttered her eyelids at her. "Can I have your extra ribbon?"

Praxina sighed and pulled a purple ribbon from her pocket. "You'd better not lose it, again. Mama thinks I've suddenly gone scatterbrained."

Auriana laughed and tied her hair into a bouncy little ponytail. "I won't! Thanks!"

With everything settled, they went to take their places. Praxina sat herself upon the stone bench they had designated as her throne and instantly adopted a queenly persona. Iris hurried to the raised dais that they used as a tower. Auriana and Mephisto stood on the sidelines and waited for their cues.

Praxina stood and called, "Good knight, I, uh, beseech you! Come forth!"

Mephisto ran over and kneeled before her with only the barest hint of a smirk. "What is your bidding, my queen?"

"My daughter, the fair Princess Iris, has been cursed by a dark sorceress-"

"Uh, wait," Mephisto whispered loudly, "are you gonna be the sorceress, or Auriana?"

They looked at Auriana, who nodded enthusiastically.

Praxina often doubled as the villain of their game because she enjoyed it, and was honestly pretty scary when she chose to be, but the queen needed to be present later in the story. Auriana didn't mind filling in. She just liked playing the game, regardless of her role in the story, and thus was often cast a variety of roles. Spys, merchants, thieves, extraneous nobles, and yes, even dark sorceresses. Mephisto usually did the same if a knight wasn't needed. He especially got a kick out of playing dashing rogues.

Iris was almost always a princess, or another lady of nobility. Everyone agreed the role suited her best, and they almost always needed such a character. Besides, her attempts at evil laughter were completely unconvincing.

Satisfied that their villain was confirmed, the twins snapped back into character.

"Princess Iris has been cursed by a dark sorceress, and is trapped in a lonely tower, unable to escape until, um, a quest is completed. You, sir knight, must bring... a gem from the highest point of Dragon Mountain!" She pointed dramatically to a fountain on the far side of the courtyard.

Mephisto nodded solemnly. "It shall be done at once, your majesty!" He stood and began sprinting towards the fountain.

Iris sighed loudly as he passed her dias. He slowed, catching on.

"Are you the cursed princess, Iris?" he called over to her.

"I am, yes!" She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead in a mock swoon. "Woe is I! Trapped in this tower, all alone! How I long to escape!"

"Worry not, fair maiden, I shall free you!" Mephisto proclaimed, then added in a stage whisper, "Should we fall in love now?"

Iris thought for a moment. "...No, we just met. Wait until you come back with the gem thing."

Mephisto shot her a thumbs up and continued dashing towards the imaginary mountain.

Auriana suddenly stepped in front of him, adopting an elderly warble. "Excuse me, young man, but can you help an old lady in need?"

Mephisto narrowed his eyes at her, wondering if this was meant to be the sorceress in disguise. "...Perhaps."

"I am very old, and I need someone to help me get my cart out of the mud." She gestured to the right, indicating the location of this cart.

Mephisto was suspicious, but decided he wanted to see where this was going. He made a show of pushing the nonexistent cart until it was unstuck.

"There you are, ma'am."

Auriana smiled and spun around, making a "woosh, woosh, whoosh!" sound with her mouth, then stood before him with a regal air. "Thank you, sir knight. I am the good entrantress, and to repay you for your kindness, I will help with your quest!" She pointed to the fountain. "The gem you seek is inside a dragon's cave! You're gonna have to sneak past it without waking it up!" She mimed pulling something from behind her back. "These shoes of sneaking will help you!"

Mephisto raised an eyebrow at her.

"I know, we just used the shoes of sneaking last time," Auriana whispered apologetically. "But I can't think of anything else."

"I could always just slay the dragon."

"No! No slaying things, Mephisto! We talked about this!"

He crossed his arms. "Talia lets me slay things!"

Auriana hummed angrily under her breath. "Well, I don't like it! The dragon didn't do anything to you!"

Iris coughed loudly, drawing their attention. She and Praxina gave them stern looks from their respective places.

Mephisto gave an exaggerated sigh. "Ok, fine, no slaying. Give me the sneaky shoes." He held his hand out.

Auriana dropped the imaginary shoes into his hand and he took a moment to put them on his feet.

"Go now, good knight! Before it is... too late..." she said ominously as she backed away, then hid behind a large urn.

Unsettled by the vague but inevitable nature of this warning, Mephisto continued until he was a few feet from the fountain.

It was a large fixture even by adult standards, so it dwarfed the children. Three massive granite pegasi surrounded a pedestal, which shot water into the air from various spouts disguised as flowers. Upon the pedestal stood a tall marble woman, a queen with long flowing hair, surrounded by elaborate swirls and patterns of transparent pink crystal representing her magic. The water was magically filtered with every pass, and it sparkled brilliantly in the morning sun.

They'd been told not to play on it, but they always figured that rule was up for interpretation. For example, they interpreted it to mean they couldn't climb any higher than the pegasi. Because, honestly, the pegasi weren't _that_ high, and the delicate crystal didn't start until the woman's feet. Even Iris, the biggest stickler for following the rules, agreed this was a perfectly logical compromise. Still, they felt there was no need to complicate the issue by asking. Grown-ups could be very unreasonable, sometimes.

Mephisto began creeping on tiptoe as he neared the pretend dragon's cave. The girls watched with baited breath, worried the dragon would hear him.

He jumped up onto the edge of the fountain's pool easily, having done it hundreds of times before. He leapt up, grabbed onto one of the pegasi's manes, and hoisted himself onto its back. As surefooted as he was on the smooth polished granite, he felt confident enough to tiptoe across the wet stone.

The gem was, as always, imaginary. Even so, the tension in the air was palatable as he bent to pick it up, lightly touching the pegasus's wing for balance. He held up the invisible object for the girls to see, then began tiptoeing back across.

He realized too late he was getting cocky.

The toe of his boot lost traction on the slick stone. His stomach dropped as his foot slipped and his legs went out from under him.

The girls looked on in shock as Mephisto plummeted towards the hard stone edge of the fountain.


	2. Chapter 2: Flying

Chapter 2: Flying

A/N: Further thanks to followmetoyourdoom and margoteve for support and advice! Also thanks to everybody who's followed/favorited and commented!

* * *

The girls shrieked in surprised terror.

Mephisto squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the impact. He wished he wasn't falling so fast.

The impact never came.

Confused, Mephisto opened his eyes and looked down. He yelped when he saw that he was still several feet off the ground.

"Mephisto!" Iris breathed. "You're-"

"Flying!" Auriana cried.

He blinked and looked down again. It was true; he was hovering in midair. Once he'd recovered a little, he grinned at the others.

"I'm flying! Praxina! Lookit me!"

Praxina was looking at him with a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Wow, um, Mephisto, that's... great!" She tried to sound excited for him, and not show the envy clawing at her insides.

Mephisto not-so-gracefully descended and landed safe on the grass with a thump. Iris and Auriana ran over to him, chattering excitedly. Praxina followed, though more slowly.

"Did- did you see?!" Mephisto's face practically glowed with pride, although that could have been the slight blush from all the attention.

"That was so amazing!" Auriana bounced up and down. "Man, I really wish flying ran in my family! All we've got is shields. What's so great about shields?"

Iris tried to help him up, though he was a lot heavier than she was. "You must be getting a lot better at magic, Mephisto!"

He climbed to his feet under his own power, though he appreciated Iris' attempt just the same. His grin faded just slightly when he caught sight of Praxina.

"...I'm really impressed you did it so easily! Good job, Mephisto!" She forced a smile.

She resolved to be mature about it. This was a big milestone for his magical development. She had thought she was going to reach it before he did. The thought of falling behind him sat ill with her, but she tried to hide it for his sake.

Mephisto, however, could read his sister perfectly. He walked over to her and hugged her.

She wanted to push him away, wanted to shut him out, but honestly the support and affection felt really good.

"I'm just glad you're not hurt," she whispered, hugging him back. Her voice was sincere, now, and betrayed how much he'd scared her when he slipped.

"I'm sorry," he replied.

She smiled, her jealousy dimming considerably. "...It's ok. Let's, um, get back to the game before this gets any mushier."

Mephisto laughed and any residual tension instantly evaporated. They quickly ran back to their places as Mephisto pretended to pick up his very hard-won prize and started walking back.

"You forgot to sneak!" Auriana called. "You woke up the dragon!"

Mephisto looked over his shoulder in alarm. "Are you sure I can't slay him?!"

"No! Just run!"

Mephisto sprinted towards Iris' dais like his shirttails were on fire.

"Such bravery!" Iris exclaimed when he stopped near her. "You faced a dragon for me, a stranger?"

"I..." Mephisto gasped for breath between words. "...come to... free you... Princess!"

She pressed a hand to her heart. "Dear sir knight! You are the kindest, bravest, most handsome man I've ever met!"

Praxina gave a snort from her bench. Iris and Mephisto both shot her a look and then pointedly ignored her.

"Thank you, your highness," Mephisto bowed. "If I may be so bold as to, uh, return the compliment, I have never seen such beauty and goodness as yours." He dropped out of character for a half second as he realized they'd missed a step. "Oh, shoot." He quickly held his fist out to her. "Also, I have the gem from Dragon Mountain to break your curse with!"

Iris clapped her hands. "Oh, thank you, sir knight! Just, um, press it to the stone wall!"

Mephisto mimed placing the gem against the wall of Iris' tower. "It's working, a door just opened!"

Iris ran and jumped onto the grass. "I'm free! Oh, thank you so much! You are the bravest of all knights!"

He smiled that good-natured smile that lit up his whole face and knelt before her. "It was the least I could do for such a kind damsel, m'lady." He gently took her hand and kissed it briefly.

She smiled bashfully. "...My dear sir knight, if you would have me, I would gladly give you my hand in marriage."

"Why, I would be honored, dear princess."

The romantic scenes were their favorites. Their acting skills really shone. Perhaps because, on some level, it wasn't just acting. There was a little too much genuine fondness in their eyes for it to be purely pretend. Their hearts beat a little too quickly. Their voices carried a little too much sincerity. It felt a little too real.

Mephisto cleared his throat. "But first, we must get you back home, where you'll be safe."

Iris nodded and they hurried over to Praxina's bench.

"Mother!" Iris grabbed Praxina in a tight hug. "This good knight has freed me of my curse, and now I have finally returned to your arms!"

Mephisto stifled a snort at the less than enthusiastic look on Praxina's face as she struggled in Iris' vice-like grip.

"Uh, yes! I am..." She finally wiggled free and held a quietly giggling Iris at arm's length. "...Thrilled to have you back, dear daughter!" She smiled at Mephisto. "Thank you for saving her, brave sir knight!"

Mephisto grinned and bowed. "It was an honor, your majesty. With your permission, we-"

A wicked cackle suddenly echoed across the courtyard. Mephisto grabbed his wooden sword off the grass.

"So! You thought you could break my spell that easily, did you?" Auriana ran out from behind an urn with an evil smile.

The others gasped. Mephisto moved protectively in front of the girls.

"The dark sorceress!" Iris hid behind Praxina.

"Go away!" Praxina shouted.

Auriana laughed normally. "Come on, Prax, you can do better than that!"

Praxina cleared her throat sheepishly. "I mean, um... You will leave here at once!"

"Better!" Auriana hunched her back. "You will pay for, you know, breaking my spell! And stuff."

"Not so long as I'm here, " Mephisto said. "I'll protect them from you!"

She pointed at him. "But can you protect them from... _yourself?!_ "

The others shot Auriana impressed looks. She smiled and shrugged, then slipped back into character. "I cast a spell on you that will make you evil!" She waggled her fingers at him. "Now, attack them!"

A flash of genuine fear crossed Mephisto's face, as if for a moment he forgot they were playing. The prospect of being made to hurt his sister and friend was horrifying. He shook his head a little, reminding himself that it was just a game.

He turned on them with his sword raised and a dark scowl on his face. His acting skill was such that it actually gave them pause.

Iris recovered first and gasped loudly. "No, dear knight!"

Praxina grabbed two swords from under the bench and handed one to Iris. "I'll take the sorceress, you try and snap him out of it!"

Iris' expression became one of determination as she nodded.

The dull sound of wooden swords banging together soon echoed from the castle walls.

Praxina was much better at this than Auriana, so she handicapped herself by letting Auriana get a hit on her.

"Oh noooo!" She dropped her sword, clutching her hand to her chest. "You've cut off my sword hand! You villain!"

Auriana blinked at her in confusion for a second. "Uhhh... Yes! That's exactly what I've done!" She added quietly, "Your hand's ok, right?"

"Oh yeah, totally." Praxina pulled her sleeve down over her "lost" hand and picked up her sword with the other.

Meanwhile, Mephisto ran at Iris, who blocked his sword with her own. She gave a surprised shriek.

He broke character for a second, looking at her with concern. She smiled quickly and pushed back.

Reassured, he smirked at her. "You surprise me, Princess. I didn't think you were trained in swordsmanship."

"Good sir knight, you need to snap out of this!"

They continued to spar, while Iris thought about how best to break the curse.

She thrust at him suddenly, forcing him to block and leaving only a few inches between them.

"Please," she whispered with a sincerity that took him off guard. "My dear knight. Please come back to me."

Struck by a bolt of inspiration, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

Mephisto was frozen with shock for a moment. "...True Love's Kiss?"

She nodded. Their favorite plot device, saved for the most dire of situations.

He shivered, shook his head, blinked a few times as if he'd woken from a bad dream. "...Princess Iris? What happened?"

She grinned and hugged him. "We're even now."

He hugged her back, glad that was over with. He didn't mind playing villains in general, but he never relished fighting with Iris, and especially not if their characters were in love.

They looked up to find Auriana had cornered Praxina against a castle wall.

Auriana smirked and pressed the tip of her wooden sword against Praxina's chin. "Any last words, your majesty?"

"Yes, actually." Praxina smirked knowingly at her. "I have _two_ sword hands!"

In a single rush of movement, Praxina expertly parried Auriana's sword, knocked it from her hand, and shoved her to the grass.

Auriana's mouth gaped open for a moment before she resumed character. "...Noooooooo! How could I be defeated? I must escape!" She began crawling away, getting green stains on her hands, knees and the hem of her skirt.

"Auriana, the grass stains!" Iris called after her, completely ignored.

Mephisto snorted, then bowed. "My Queen, I see you've vanquished the enemy!"

Praxina raised her head proudly. "I did, yes." She looked at them more seriously. "But what if she should return? Whoever would protect my fair daughter?"

Iris and Mephisto shot each other gleeful looks and tried not to giggle.

"My Queen..." Mephisto knelt down. "I would ask your daughter's hand in marriage."

Praxina feigned surprise. "How unexpected! But, come to think of it, you _are_ a very strong and brave man. You wouldn't make a bad king, someday. _If,_ of course, my daughter will have you."

Iris was already jumping onto Praxina. "YES, MOTHER! I want to marry him!"

The two fell to the ground in a mass of limbs. Mephisto made a concerned noise and went to help them both up. Auriana came back to make sure they were all right.

They spent a few minutes nursing some small scrapes Iris and Praxina had suffered. Once they were feeling better, Auriana spirited herself away to her hiding place again.

Iris cleared her throat awkwardly. "Um, yes, Mother, I would very much like to marry this kind, brave knight. He will protect me from all harm!"

"Yes, from everything but your over-enthusiastic hugging, it seems." Praxina gingerly rubbed her bruised elbow.

Mephisto clapped a hand over his mouth to contain a rush of laughter. Iris gave a little cheer and hugged him.

They both silently elected to ignore the loud _thump_ of their hearts at that.

"Do we live 'Happily Ever After,' now?" Mephisto whispered.

Iris grinned. "Yeah, we do!"

"Awesome!" Mephisto grinned back.

"And so," Praxina proclaimed, "the Princess and her Knight were married and, I don't know, probably kissed or something." She waved her hand dismissively. "And they lived Happily Ever After!"

Auriana clapped enthusiastically. The four friends all stood together and bowed to an invisible audience.

"That was so good!" Iris exclaimed. "Auriana, the evil mind control spell on Mephisto? That was brilliant!"

"Thanks, but I didn't even think of using Love's True Kiss to break it!"

Mephisto was nodding, even as a faint blush colored his cheeks. "That was pretty great, Iris. Er... Good storytelling!"

Praxina shrugged. "Isn't it sort of an easy solution, though?"

"What would _you_ have done?" Mephisto raised an eyebrow at her.

"...I don't know, what it wouldn't have been so sappy!" She crossed her arms.

Iris hugged both of them. "All right, Praxina, next time _you_ can decide how to break a spell, okay?"

"Auri!" A shrill shout pierced the air and froze them all.

"Oh no," Auriana whispered.

They didn't even see the gang of younger sisters coming before Auriana was being squashed under a pile of over-excited 3 to 5 year olds. The others instinctively drew back in self-preservation, knowing that she was beyond their help.

"Auri! Auri! Auri! Auri!" they chanted.

"What?!" She gasped from under them.

The eldest of this particular group, a girl whose red hair was streaked with purple, stood up. "Auri, Momma said to come practice your ribbon!"

"How can I do that when you're all sitting on me?!"

They erupted into giggles.

"Ok, girls, she's right." A 9 year old boy with pink-orange hair came to her rescue.

"Jodan!" She cried. "Thank the Melzors! Help me!"

He tisked. "Language, Auriana." Still, he turned to their sisters. "Come on, guys, let her up."

The young girls whined and complained but they climbed off of a very flattened Auriana.

Jodan was the only boy in their family, and far from the eldest sibling, but he still managed to keep his younger sisters in line due to his maturity.

Well, as much in line as anyone _could_ keep them.

"Be glad you don't have siblings, Iris," Praxina muttered.

"Hey!" Mephisto glared at her, while Iris hid a smile behind her hand.

Auriana climbed painfully to her feet. She wasn't much hurt, really, but she was gonna milk this for all it was worth. "Jodaaan, I can't possibly train, now! I'm too injured!"

He laughed and slung his arm over her shoulders. "Nice try, sis. Come on, Mom's waiting on you."

Auriana sighed loudly. "It was worth a shot." She smiled to the others. "See you guys later!"

Iris and the twins waved as the swarm of Voltans made their way into the castle.

"I guess we're probably gonna have to go do our lessons, too." Iris said, sagging slightly.

The twins looked at each other significantly, both suddenly wearing the same mischievous smirk. A whole conversation was held and a decision made in the blink of an eye. Iris would never understand how they did that. She thought it must be a special twin thing.

"They can't teach us if they can't _find_ us," Praxina said, her eyes glittering with impish delight.

Iris hesitated. "Is that a good idea? I feel like we should probably work on our magic."

She was thinking of the stress in her parent's manner that morning. Scraps of scary talk she'd overheard during council meetings, before somebody ushered her away. They kept saying the same words over and over with growing dread each time.

Something in her, a gut feeling people would later call "natural leadership," told her to be ready. For what, she had no idea.

"What difference is one day going to make?" Mephisto clasped his hands and looked at her pleadingly. "Pleeease, Iris?"

"No, Mephisto, not the cute eyes..."

Praxina joined in and they both looked at her with heart-meltingly adorable eyes.

Iris sighed. She couldn't hope to withstand such an onslaught. "...Fine, okay, we'll play hooky for, like, an hour, okay? But then we're coming right back and making up for it!"

The twins gave her excited smiles that made Iris think they had no intention of actually doing the latter, but she just shrugged and smiled back.

They could always just study harder tomorrow.


End file.
